by Timothy Edward, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

The Quebec government is officially giving restaurants the green light to charge a no-show fee of $10 per person if a group of two or more people fails to make good on their reservation.

The no-show fee, which comes into effect on July 17, can be applied only if patrons are informed in advance that they will be charged a fee if they don’t show up, and if they are sent a reservation reminder and confirmation request 6 to 48 hours in advance. Customers must also be able to cancel their reservation at any time.

According to the Quebec Restauration Association, no-shows result in average financial losses of $49,000 per establishment every year.

This regulation follows up on the Quebec government’s changes to tipping, which came into effect in May, mandating restaurants to calculate tips based on totals before tax. Both of these measures are part of Bill 72, which was passed unanimously in November.